Aircraft comprise a set of computers, called avionics computers, tasked with controlling their operation. This set of computers generally comprises a flight management computer of FMS (“Flight Management System”) type, a flight control computer, for example of FCS (“Flight Control System”) type or of PRIM (“PRIMary Computer”) and SEC (SECondary Computer”) types, a maintenance computer of CMC (“Central Maintenance Computer”) type, an alerts management computer of FWS (“Flight Warning System”) type, etc.
In modern aircraft, pilots sometimes use a computer called EFB (“Electronic Flight Bag”). The latter is independent of the avionics computers and it is used by pilots to implement software provided by the airline, which does not need to form the subject of certification by air safety authorities, such as the software embedded in avionics computers. An EFB computer may for example correspond to a laptop or to a tablet. Certain software used on the EFB computer uses information relating to the flight of the aircraft, such as its flight plan, its current position, or to its performance such as its weight, etc. In the case of a so-called class I EFB computer (totally independent of the aircraft's avionics computers), a pilot must read this information on a screen of the cockpit of the aircraft and input it manually into the EFB computer, this being constraining. In the case of a so-called class II or class III EFB computer, this EFB computer is independent of the aircraft's avionics computers in the sense that it cannot communicate freely with the avionics computers, but a unidirectional link is sometimes provided from an avionics computer to the EFB computer. Thus, this avionics computer can dispatch information to the EFB computer without any risk of its operation being disturbed by the EFB computer. The dispatching of the information from the avionics computer to the EFB computer can be carried out automatically, for example cyclically, or on the request of a pilot. However, such a mode of operation requires that the aircraft be equipped with a link from the avionics computer to the EFB computer. Such a link is difficult to implement if provision was not made for it during the design of the aircraft. Moreover, it must form the subject of a certification by the air certification authorities and its cost is relatively high.